-LRB- CNET -RRB- -- Verizon Wireless smartphone customers use 25 percent more data than AT&T iPhone customers , thanks in large part to new Verizon 's new Android smartphones , a recent study indicates .

Validas , a company that analyzes cell phone bills and usage for consumers and corporate customers , analyzed 20,000 consumer phone bills between January and May of 2010 and discovered that Verizon Wireless smartphone customers consume on average about 421 megabytes per month . Meanwhile , AT&T iPhone users consume roughly 25 percent less data , or about 338 megabytes per month .

The full Validas report will be published on September 1 .

The comparison between smartphone data usage on Verizon 's network and iPhone data usage on AT&T 's network is important to note , because iPhone users have typically been viewed as the heaviest data users in the entire mobile market .

The fact that Verizon is seeing a major uptick in data usage in the past six months , largely due to new Android smartphones , could be a key predictor of wireless data usage patterns going forward . If the trends continue , Verizon could see an explosion in data usage .

So far , Verizon 's network has n't faced any major hiccups due to the onslaught of new data traffic . This is in contrast to AT&T 's network , which , over the past three years since the iPhone was launched , has beencriticized for dropping calls and offering slower than expected data download speedson their iPhones in some parts of the country .

`` Verizon 's network is holding up really well as it adds more data traffic , '' said Ed Finegold , chief analytics officer for Validas . `` Verizon has always had a reputation for a solid network . And it looks like so far , it has been able to handle the additional traffic . ''

As Verizon continues to sell more Android devices , the carrier will likely put its network to the test even further . Smartphone data usage started exploding for Verizon when the company launched its first Android phones in the fourth quarter last year , Finegold said . With more Android devices coming on the market in the next few months , it 's likely that the volume of Android smartphones on Verizon 's network will increase .

That said , the total number of cell phone customers -- including those using feature phones and smartphones -- using Verizon data services is much less than the number of customers using these services on AT&T 's network . For example , 71.2 percent of all AT&T cell phone subscribers , which includes users of smartphones like the iPhone as well as feature phones , use data services , while only 43 percent of all Verizon cell phone users subscribe to data services .

Even though fewer Verizon cell phone subscribers are using data services , individually , they are consuming roughly the same amount of data each month as the average AT&T customer . AT&T cell phone subscribers , on average , consume 149.6 MB a month . The average Verizon cell phone subscriber consumes about 147.2 MB of data per month .

When it comes to smartphones , usage patterns between AT&T and Verizon customers are also similar . But Verizon appears to have more power-users that fall in the midrange of data consumption .

According to data analyzed by Validas , about half of AT&T 's iPhone customers use less than 200MB of data per month . And about 47 percent of their iPhone subscribers use between 200MB and 2GB of data with about 90 percent of those customers using less than 1GB of data per month . This means that about 2.5 percent of AT&T 's users consume more than 2GB of data per month .

Hard-core data users

Verizon Wireless smartphone subscribers have similar usage patterns to those on AT&T 's network . But where they differ is in the number of subscribers that are using between 500MB to 1GB per month of data . Verizon has twice as many of those customers than AT&T has , Finegold said . More than 11 percent of Verizon Wireless smartphone users fall into this category , versus just 5.6 percent of iPhone users .

He speculates this difference is because Android users tend to be more hard-core data users , whereas the iPhone may be used more by casual users who like the phone because it 's cool .

`` The iPhone makes much more of a lifestyle and social statement than an Android phone makes , '' Finegold said . `` People interested in an Android are looking for horsepower . ''

In an effort to keep iPhone data usage in check so it does n't completely overwhelm its network , AT&T recently eliminated its all you-can-eat data plan . Instead the company offers two tiers of services . For $ 15 a month , new smartphone subscribers can get up to 200MB of data per month . And for $ 25 a month they can get 2GB of data .

Verizon still offers its unlimited data plan . Company executives emphasized that point at the launch of the new Motorola Droid X earlier this summer . But executives have also said that Verizon will eventually move to a tiered pricing model .

AT&T 's new pricing only affects a small number of customers . But if Verizon were to adopt the very same pricing model , more of its heavy data users on Android phones would likely be affected . According to the Validas report , a little more than 4 percent of Verizon 's smartphone users consume more than 2GB of data per month compared with only about 2.5 percent of AT&T 's iPhone customers .

Validas ' analysis also clearly shows that heavy data users are primarily using AT&T and Verizon Wireless , while customers who tend to use less data , are subscribing to Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA .

For example , about half of Sprint 's cell phone subscribers , including smartphone customers , use data on Sprint 's network . But the average usage is only about 133.4 MB a month . T-Mobile only has about 22.3 percent of its cell phone subscriber base subscribing to data , and those consumers are only using about 120MB of data per month .

Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile want a bigger piece of the data action , which is why the companies have been investing in next-generation networks . Sprint is partnered with Clearwire , which is building its 4G network across the country using WiMax .

Sprint recently launched the first WiMax-enabled phone that can switch between its 3G network and the 4G Clearwire network . Sales have been strong , but the company has suffered from component shortages making the devices hard to get .

The Validas analysis does n't include the launch of this new phone , called the HTC Evo . So it will be interesting to note whether the launch of this device will significantly move the needle on data usage on Sprint 's network .

Meanwhile , T-Mobile is also trying to strum up more data usage on its network by upgrading its network to the next generation of 3G technology called HSPA + . But even with faster network speeds in some markets , Sprint and T-Mobile still lack the comprehensive coverage that AT&T and Verizon offer .

The biggest problem for Sprint and T-Mobile is putting the right devices in the hands of the most prolific data users .

`` People who travel tend to be more mobile , and they also tend to be power users when it comes to mobile data , '' Finegold said . `` They want to know that the coverage is there when they need it , and they 're generally more willing to pay for that . So they are definitely higher value customers . ''

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AT&T iPhone users consume 25 percent less data than Verizon Wireless customers

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iPhone users were typically viewed as the heaviest data users in the mobile market

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Verizon 's network has n't yet faced any major hiccups due to the onslaught of new traffic